There's a long game in all of this.

Whether it's your career, your relationships, your health, your dreams and desires, there's taking action in the moment for the sake of, well, the moment, and there's thinking ahead, looking forward to decide if what you're about to do right now is the best way to get you to where you want to be.

Making decisions isn't easy. You rarely have the time you need to reflect on the outcomes, and some of the toughest decisions you'll face are sudden. In the moment, you may to decide to forgo something you want because saying no is the healthy choice. It's the moral choice. It's the choice that won't hurt you or those you love.

In that moment, you may not have time to reflect or grab your journal and do some writing.

Luckily, the journaling you've already done can serve you. Not because you'll be able to write in the moment, but because you've been writing for that moment for months.

Through a daily practice, you start noticing what you really value, naming what you'd rather avoid, and distinguishing the choices that feels good from the choices that are best. Do this enough times on the page, with no pressure or time limit, and you’ll be better for it in all areas of your life.

Reflection is best done with time, and time is the one luxury a hard decision doesn't always offer. So you store it up beforehand. The judgment you build in the quiet is what shows up in the noise.

To help you get ahead, try this prompt the next time you open your journal:

My most difficult decisions are served well by the habit I've built. I'm not certain it's made these choices easier, but it's enabled me to be better prepared to make the right choice more often.

Quarterly planning is an idea cut from a similar cloth, building a plan so the next three months don't catch you flat-footed. The third quarter of the year begins in a few days. You might give my ​simple quarterly planning framework​ a try.

It’s simple and effective, with three journal entries and a built-in weekly review for reflection. If you're curious to learn more about it, give this​episode of the Focused podcast ​a listen, where I talk about the process, the tools, and the reasons I was inspired to create it.

If you know someone who might enjoy learning how to write their own story down, forward this email to them today.

​They can sign up here and get access to The Journaling Challenge, a simple way to build the habit from day one and start putting their own story on the page.

There's never any spam, and it's easy to unsubscribe. Join today.

Until next time, I'll see you on Threads and at 24 Letters. Thanks as always for your time. -Joe

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